More longevity factors

In this week's edition of Healthspan, I wind up my three-part series on longevity in which I have been delineating 15 "longevity factors." I see this as a checklist for living the long life.

Since we are all subject to a genetic lottery and unanticipated tragic accidents, it is always helpful to have an idea of what we can actually choose to do to extend our lives. I suggest you check your list and then check it twice.

Life is good, and I don't know about you, but I plan to stay around as long as God is willin' and the creeks don't rise.

I have saved the big guns for the last.

Learn to cope with stress

OK, so we all know this by now. But just in case you need a reminder, pay attention: According to one report by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, modifying stress reduces one's chance of cardiac events by a significant 30 percent.

The gold standard for longevity, our centenarians haven't been immune to life's inevitable stresses but what has distinguished them is their attitude. The New England Centenarian Study shows that they are optimistic, use humor as a way of dealing with life's strangeness, take it all in stride and are as dedicated to their mental and emotional health as much as they are their physical health. Often these long-lived folk are without arrogance; they tend to be humble, gaining strength from a spiritual relationship to a higher power.

Exercise

The hallmark of those who Girardeau achieve the three-digit life is they have lived active lives. If there is anything that has been shown to promote longevity it is exercise. And we are not talking about Lance Armstrong here.

Walking 30 minutes a day is all it takes, according to some encouraging recent studies. (Do it with a friend and you get the added longevity benefit of social interaction.) Even this mild form of aerobic exercise results in more efficient energy production, which in turn results in less oxygen radical formation, and this means slowing down the aging process.

Weight training is still important even if you aren't planning on being like Rocky Balboa. The more muscle you have, the more efficiently you burn fat. With strength training we can reverse the typical muscle loss that comes with aging.

Supplement wisely

Our immune systems are definitely at the mercy of the wear and tear of years spent fighting off bodily invaders. Yet recent research suggests that the weakening of our immune systems isn't an inevitable result of aging. By bolstering the immune system through nutritional supplementation, we can reduce inflammation, which pays off big time by slowing the aging process.

Here is a list of the nutritional supplements to consider to enhance natural immunity: zinc, selenium, copper, folic acid and vitamins A, B and D. You should also consider adding vitamin E, as Italian centenarians were found to have impressively high blood levels of vitamins A and E compared to younger adults.

There are two more longevity factors, but since space prevents me from presenting them here, you will have to go to the Healthspan Web site (www.HealthspanWeb.com) to find out what they are. Maybe that is another longevity factor: a little mystery, a little anticipation, wondering what is just around the corner.

Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh is a Cape Girardeau native who is a licensed clinical psychologist in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com.